


Runaway

by tyomawrites



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Cheating, Consensual Underage Sex, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Referenced Assumed Kidnapping, Runaway Character, Running Away, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-10 12:34:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2025300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyomawrites/pseuds/tyomawrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slade breaks into a house in Australia by mistake, and instead ends up with a 14 year old girl as a partner, she's enthusiastic, dangerous, insane and completely fine with who he is and what he does, in the end he decides to train her just like he trained Oliver Queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 14

**Author's Note:**

> This started from a dream, I repeat, this spawn from a 1/2 hour nap.

Past - 2014 - 10 years ago

 

* * *

 

 

 

"You know, I'll just go to my room and talk to Slade bloody Wilson about taking me to Starling City." Carly shouted, walking away from her parents, following her usual routine of handing her macbook to her parents at ten every night.

There was no reply, as usual, because everyone ignored her like that. She snorted, taking off her glasses and flicking the light switch before walking to her bedside table and putting her glasses down blindly. She waved her hands around for a few seconds before placing them flat on her bed then jumping onto it so that she wouldn't trip. She pulled the patchwork quilt she had over her, leaving her head to poke out from the cocoon she made, and stared at the ceiling.

*What would it be like to run around with Slade Wilson killing people.* She wondered. She laughed before covering her eyes with her forearm and trying to fall asleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

She woke up to a little crash outside her room. She shot up, not really, she sat up slowly before blindly reaching for her glasses and the sword on the custom wall piece. Too bad it wasn't real metal, basically wood and foam but it had a nasty hit when you swung it hard enough.

She crawled out her bed, pressing her back against the wall before pulling the door open, listening to the screech and wincing, she really had to get that fixed. The noise of whoever was in the house stopped instantly. She crept through the corridor leading to the living room, eyes searching the dark. 

There he was, it was definitely a guy, decked out in so much gear, really recognizable gear. She was so tempted to switch on the lights and surprise him, she doubt he noticed her yet, so when his back was turned she moved to hide behind the couch before peaking over the top, only to see he disappeared. 

*SHIT!* She internally swore, she stood up, spotting him move out of the kitchen. *Oh come on!* She groaned in her head. She flipped the light switch, making him stop like a rabbit in headlights.

"So I guess you're gonna wake everyone up now kid?" He asked without turning around.

"Or I could let you leave and say I was getting food." She suggested. He turned, slowly, smirk on his face.

She was staring at Slade Wilson. How the fuck was she staring at Slade Wilson. 

"Know who I am kid?" He asked, nose crinkling.

"You're Slade Wilson, holy crap you're Slade Wilson." She bit her lip, staring at the man in front of her. "I'm dreaming, I've got to be dreaming this is a total dream God dammit!"

"Standing in the flesh." He smirked.

"I would offer you a beer, but my parents would notice one is missing." She smiled.

Slade chuckled. "Well if you don't mind, I'm not actually someone who talks out here in the open." His hands gestured to the living room and kitchen. She blushed, before pointing back to the corridor while saying: "Well my rooms that way, if my parents wake up then they'll think I'm talking to myself again."

"Trying to get me in your room? You'll have to buy me a drink first." He commented, laughing at her blush, she hid her face behind her frizzy hair, fringe falling over her face.

"Nah it's alright kid." He moved around the kitchen countertop, following her to her room.

"So this is your room." He looked around at the TV show posters covering her room, to the small bookshelf opposite her dressing table, and the marbles held up by blu tack on her wardrobe wall. "The marbles are a nice touch." He laughed.

"Yeah, I got bored." She muttered. Her phone buzzed, she glanced at it, it was a call from her ex. She rolled her eyes, sweeping the decline button. 

"Who was that?" He asked.

"Ex boyfriend." She glanced at her phone out of the corner of her eye. "Broke up with me yesterday." She clarified.

He hummed, before looking at her perched on the side of her bed. "You know why?" He asked.

"Not a fucking clue." She poked her tongue out before patting the bed. "Take a seat, I won't bite." She said to him. "No seriously though, you are awesome, like seriously, I want to know how to do half the shit you do." She bounced on the bed enthusiastically.

He looked at her surprised. "You know what I do?" He'd actually sat down next to her, looking so out of place in a teenagers room. He had his hands in his lap.

"Why?" He asked her.

"Because, I want to know how to kill." He stared at her, and staring it was putting it politely. He was gawking at her in absolute surprise.

"Why would you want to know how to kill?"

"Fourteen year old, already had a taste of sex, drugs, street fights, I want to be out there, changing the criminal underworld, I want to rule them, I.. I just want to be out there." She explained, moving her hands animated.

 

* * *

 

"You can come with me." He said suddenly. After her confession they sat in silence, Carly had pulled her pillow into her lap and was leaning against the headboard of her bed.

"Me, go with you?" She repeated, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yes." He nodded. "I'll teach you to fight, but you gotta work off that puppy fat before we get to the real fun." He smirked, poking at her tummy.

She curled over, hiding her tummy from him, laughing.

"When do we go?" She asked.

She had a backpack, and a sports bag, packed with clothes that she could move easily in, her shin guards that Slade made her pack, her phone, phone charger and she snuck her macbook out of her parents room, and was currently stuffing her mac charger into her duffel bag.

"You need your passport." He said to her.

"I can't get it, they'll know I'm a runaway because I'm not even a Australian citizen." She shook her head. 

"Then I'll have to get you out of this country another way." He paused for a moment. "How would you like to fly on a private jet?" 


	2. 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Underage Sex is featured in this chapter, but it's consensual as the tags say. These are not happening in real time, they're flashbacks. Real time starts when she's 24 in Starling City.

 

_ Past - January 23, 2015 - 9 and a half years ago _

 

 

 

She was running out of breath really fast, it had been six months since Slade got her out of Australia. He brought her to... actually, she didn't know where the hell she was, but it was a cool place, it was somewhere near the mountains, there was a villa up there so she was reminded of Italy for a moment, but it definitely wasn't. They lived near a waterfall, surrounded by forest, plants, water, pure nature, and it made a really hard training ground for her. She had to run 5 kilometres every morning, sometimes Slade would run with her, to make sure she actually ran, those days she enjoyed, because they would run in a comfortable silence, while when she ran alone, she listened to depressing songs while running, thinking back to other things in her old life. Hell she'd already change her name, her birthday, well the year anyway, and a who her birth parents were, even who Slade was to her. He was now her guardian for an old Russian friend, her name was Charlotte Darcie Kazakov, 17 year old orphan staying with her guardian. She was going to be 15, fuck, she was 15, today was her birthday. She paused, reaching the villa, she slowed to a stop in front of it, looking at the villa. She wasn't reminded of home when she looked at the place. 

Six months with Slade training had turned her puppy fat into muscle, she'd finally had that flat stomach she was way too lazy to get. She had more confidence and a higher self esteem. Hell she even flirted with Slade at times when he was being nicer to her. She was still breathing hard, eyes scanning her surroundings, because knowing Slade, he was hiding somewhere to surprise her, or leave her a hint to a wild goose chase that would lead to having to spar with him near the waterfall. She closed her eyes for a second and then screeched as Slade, she knew it was Slade, picked her up from behind, her legs flailing in the air.

"Another treasure hunt kid." He whispered in her ear before dropping her on her arse, two metal poles by either side of her. She got up, brushing the dirt of her arse and bending over to pick up the poles, feeling something really painful hit her arse where she brushed off the dirt. Her hand went back to her arse, coming away with blue paint on her fingers. *A paintball gun?* She screamed in her head incredulously. She spun around, picking up the poles and running towards the waterfall, wincing when she tripped and fell onto her arse when she felt another paintball hit her thigh. She was wearing shorts God dammit. She got up, hiding behind a tree, before sprinting forward, flinching when a paintball flew past her face.

"Slade, not at my face!" She shouted, knowing he could hear her. There was no reply, and the sound of rushing water ahead of her meant she was reaching the waterfall. The sooner she got to the water, the better, because once she got in there, the sooner she'd be safe from the paintballs and she'd only have to Slade dishing out hits at her. She easily slid to a stop in front of the lake that pooled in front of the waterfall. She dropped the metal poles, pulling off her shirt and flinging it onto a rock before diving straight into the body of water and swimming straight to the waterfall. Behind the waterfall was a small cave that Slade would train her in properly, without any weapons, it was only hand to hand combat here.

When she pulled herself onto the rocky mini cliff, as she called it, that made the edge of the floor of the cave, she noticed Slade wasn't there yet. She wrung out her hair, moving to the back of the cave before sitting on a rock. She pushed her hands along the rocks surface until she was fully stretched out on the rock, water dripping down from her hair onto her shoulders. Her shorts stuck to her uncomfortably, but despite being confident enough to flirt with Slade on numerous occasions, she wasn't going to walk around in just her bra and knickers in front of him. 

"You did pretty well kid!" Slade called from the waterfall, pulling himself onto the floor of the cave easily, dripping wet from the swim to the cave. "Got hit only twice, you learn fast."

She laughed as he began walking to her just clad in his boxers, she turned away. She had to admit, his boxers left nothing to imagination and it always made it hard to concentrate at the very start of training. 

"Come on kid, you still can't be that shy?" He asked, he sounded like he was directly behind her now. She stopped herself from turning around, that would make her crush so obvious on him. She did turn, because she had too, he had his hand on her shoulder, which meant she had to turn before he forced her to turn and face him.

"Awe, still shy huh?" He tilted her head up, looking her in the eyes. "You want to be more impressive, work on your confidence." He told her. His eyes traveled down her body in a quick movement, and he smirked. "You lost all your puppy fat birthday girl." He poked her now flat stomach. 

She smiled back at him. He smiled back, real and genuine, before pulling away and holding up his hands. "Come on." He smiled. 

She pushed off the rock, stalking towards him. Instead of attacking, like she'd expected him to do, he moved forward, sweeping her feet out from under her, catching her before she hit the ground. "You don't know how much you've changed, since I was talking to you in your room that night." He mumbled, pulling her flush against him. "From that little girl with puppy fat to you. I know you watch, I know that's what distracts you, I _know."_ He pressed his lips to her shoulder, mouthing at her skin. She shuddered, leaning into the embrace. 

"Are you ready for something a little different?" He asked, hands running up and down her back, fingering the waistband on her shorts, before pulling them down her legs, letting them pool around her feet. She moved closer, just an inch and he met her gaze, before tilting his head. She doesn't know who initiated the kiss first but her hands immediately went to his head, gripping at his hair as he unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor between them. She pulled away panting, before moving to kiss down his neck, pausing at his sternum, pressing a kiss to his nipple, licking it tentatively before kneeling in down in front of him, breathing against his dick, the fabric barrier in the way. She pulled his boxers down, his erection standing thick and proud, she took the head in slowly, tongue lapping at it. He wrapped her hair around his fingers tugging on the strands of hair with each bob of her head. She relaxed her throat before deep throating him, listening to him moan, breathing heavily. "Fuck... so g-good, fuck! Oh God shit!" She pulled off his dick with a pop, looking up at him through her eyelashes. He pulled her up by her hair, capturing her lips in a kiss, tasting his pre-come on her tongue.

"God, kid." He pulled her to the ground with him, still lip locked, pulling her knickers off her legs, spreading them so she straddled his thighs. His ran his hand over her arse, caressing it, squeezing her thighs before pushing two fingers inside her. She gasped, feeling the two digits push roughly into her. He thrust his fingers in a steady pace, crooking them, pressing around inside her, hunting around for the spongy nub inside her that could drive her crazy. He pushed in another finger thrusting his fingers harder inside her, hearing her moan and gasp. He slipped them out, pulling her over his dick before pushing in with one thrust of his hips. When he was fully seated inside her, he pressed a kiss to her collarbone, and another to her neck, before sucking on one spot, leaving a dark mark as he began thrusting up into her tight heat. She let out a yelp as he angled his thrusts, sitting up, pulling her onto his lap still fucking her. 

She bit down on his shoulder, hair falling down in waves past her shoulder blades, thin sheet of sweat building up on both their bodies. He pulled out of her unexpectedly, giving his dick a few sharp, hard jerks before coming on her stomach in thick white strips. She slumped against him, legs around his waist, sitting in his lap, panting, arms around his shoulders.

"God!" He gasped, hand caressing the nape of her neck, pressing soft, open mouthed kisses to her shoulder and neck. She lifted her head, looking at him with half lidded eyes, smile floating on her lips. She cupped his cheek, pulling him into a hard kiss, teeth grinding against each other. 

He let her pull away before smirking at her. 

 

* * *

 

_ Past - January 28, 2015 - 9 and a half years ago _

 

 

 

 

She lay on her bed in her room in the villa. She decorated it differently, it was dark and gloomy and it matched the forest outside when it was night. She had her own weapons now, they were behind a hidden panel on her wall. She left it open though, so she could look at the knives she collected over six months, guns on the wall, even a few arrows she tried, and failed, to make when Slade had to go out away from the villa for a few weeks.

Those weeks were hell for her. She was alone in the house, usually she went to the waterfall, swam around for an hour or two before going for a run around the land the villa was built on. It was one of those weeks now actually, considering Slade left 2 days ago without telling her. She found that a little frustrating considering the things that happened in the past week. But he left her a note, a bloody note.

_'Hey kid,_   
_gone for another mission, won't be back till late next week, probably a day or two early if all goes well,_   
_don't mess up anything, don't get yourself killed,_   
_don't burn the house down,_   
_Slade'_

She found it when she went down to get breakfast, which was 3 days and five hours ago. She couldn't blame him though, he was Slade Wilson. Still, telling her that he was going to leave a day after her birthday, after what happened, was a mind fuck.

She rolled her eyes, before swinging her legs over the side of the bed, looking at the weapons on her wall. When Slade wasn't around she was bored. She was tempted to go to his room, to curl up on his bed and just breathe in the scent of the cologne he used. She stood up, going to the wall, hands hovering over them, pausing over the hunting knives placed on the right side of the weapons, she pulled them off the wall, turning the blade over in her hands. She liked knives, her knives... the knives Slade got her. He took them from one of his targets from his last trip, the newest edition to her collection.

"I'm going for a swim!" She yelled into an empty house, putting down the hunting knife on her dressing table and taking two steps to push shut the door, hearing the click before pulling off her shirt and changing to something more suitable for her walk to the waterfall. 

She walked out of her room, sliding down the railing of the stairs, falling off the end with a bored laugh. Before grabbing her own set of keys from the set of drawers next to the door. She pushed the door open, skipping out, pausing to make sure she at least had a weapon to defend herself before going back to the path that lead to the waterfall. Jogging casually, she looked around, counting the number of birds she saw in the trees. This was going to be another uneventful few days, but she didn't have training of Slade going all Iron-chefy and cooking stuff that was completely inedible. She sighed, coming to a stop in front of the lake leading to the waterfall. *Hopefully the water isn't too cold* She thought, pulling the shirt (Slades shirt) over her head. She squat down to untie her shoelaces, kicking of her boots in a general direction away from the water.

Walking into the water until it was up to her waist, she leaned back until she was floating peacefully on her back towards the waterfall. She moved her arms pushing herself to the cave. The water was calming, it soothed her nerves at the moment. She knew it was stupid, she could drown right here and Slade wouldn't find her body for another few weeks. She pulled herself up the ledge, sitting onto the cold ground.

That wa not a pleasant thought. Her face twisted into a scowl before reaching over to where they left some dry towels there yesterday. She sat on the towel, drying off the ends of her hair before looking up at a splash. She got to her knees, towel still in hand. *Shit!* She scrambled back behind a rock in the cave. *My phone's out there.* She needed her phone incase someone, other than Slade, was out here. He was the only person who was here besides her.

Someone broke through the surface of the water, decked out in gear and was definitely not nice. She shrunk back, peeking over the top of the of the rock. The guy, yeah definitely a guy, pulled off his mask and threw it to the ground. *Holy crap!* Slade stood there in dripping gear, making her roll her eyes before standing and straightening her back, looking at him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You weren't at the house when I got there." He said, stripping off his gear, leaving on the ground and he walked towards her. 

"You said you'd be gone for at least a week." She retorted. "I get bored, and you scared the crap out of me." She threw the towel in her hand at his head. He caught it before it hit him, dropping it at his feet.

"Leave a note at the house when you go out." He scolded. He was in a soaked black tank top and his trousers, wringing it out without taking it off.

"Yes daddy." She drawled, poking her tongue out at him.

"Keep it in the bedroom." He warned, before reaching out to pull her into a one armed embrace. 

"You never do." She whined, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Because I'm older than you and I make the rules." He chuckled at her pout.

 


	3. 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Lots of swearing.

Past - July 19, 2015 - 9 years ago

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Slade that snake just fucking bit me!" She screeched. Slade left her to freaking deal with the snake in the living room again, why? Because he was a dick and a fucking asshole. She bit her lip until she felt the blood beading and the metallic taste began bugging her.

"Slade! I'mma fucking kill you hurry up and get down here with something I think it's poisonous!" She screamed, trying to grab the snakes head without getting bitten again. The snake reared back, head striking forward as she jumped out of the way, her foot caught by the snake.

" **SLADE!** " She screamed. He rushed down the stairs and towards her, looking at the snake still holding onto her ankle. With a hunting knife in hand, he grabbed the snake before carefully cutting its head of and pulling its fangs out of her ankle, following the curve of the fangs so he wouldn't rip her skin.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" She snarled as he lifted her ankle gingerly, inspecting the bite.

"Good luck with that kid, this is gonna take a few days before you're on your feet again." He laughed at her, before going to the kitchen to grab the first aid kit, bringing back a roll of bandages and a bottle of what looked like antiseptic. 

“Fuck you, Slade, fuck you. You shithead. You fucking asshole. You incredible fuckbitching flying fucker. You shameful dickshitting douchesack. You crotch blistering son of a bitch!” The burn from whatever was in that bottle when it landed on both the bites. He picked her up from the ground and carried her to the couch and putting her down and reaching over her legs on the coffee table for the remote next to her feet and switching on the television. 

A random ad was playing at the moment and it made her groan, there was nothing good on the tv here. It sucked and now that she was crippled for a few days at the most. She huffed, turning to lay on her side awkwardly.

"Are you mad at me?" He cooed, dropping himself down onto the couch next to her. She pouted, turning her head away from him in mock anger and huffed. She crossed her arms, ignoring his attempts to get her attention.

He poked her cheek a few times, tapping her nose and poking her forehead. He then pulled her onto his lap, holding her there as she writhed, trying to pull away from his grip. He laughed, nuzzling into the back of her neck, mouthing at her shoulder, hands holding her in place by her hips. 

" _Slade-"_ She babbled, biting down on her lip, blood covering her tastebuds. " _Slade ple-"_ He poked her ribs, making her wriggle in his lap, trying to get away from his prodding hands.  


"Sweetheart, are you mad at me now?" He teased, grinding his hips against her arse.

"Still... mad." She panted, falling off the couch and out of Slades lap. 

"Woah there sweetie." He pulled her back onto the couch. "Don't get hurt even more." He kissed her cheek, securing her in between his thighs, her feet outstretched on the coffee table.

 


	4. 16

_ Past - April 27, 2016 - 8 years ago _

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Start packing sweetheart." Slade called up the stairs. She looked down to see him in his gear. 

"What exactly am I packing?" She called back, looking down at him.

"Weapons, passport, phone, mac, anything that you can't replace, wear your suit." He listed, counting the items on his fingers before turning to look in the general direction of the front door. "And hurry!"

She noticed his slight fidgeting and nodded her confirmation, running to her room and reaching under her bed for the backpack Slade gave her, leaving it unzipped on her bed before pulling the latch on the wall, the retractable wall move and reveal her weapons stash. She pulled off the hunting knives from the wall, tossing them in the general direction to her bed before reaching for her crossbow in a glass case, lifting it off its stand and leaving it next the backpack, on the bed, along with the knives, zipping the bag up and leaving it near the door.

She moved to her wardrobe, sliding it open and reaching her suit on a hanger. She pulled her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra, pulling her shorts down her legs and kicking them inside the wardrobe, pushing the clothes laying on the floor into it before sliding it shut. She put her legs into the suit before pulling it up and slipping her arms through the sleeves and reaching around to zip the back up. She struggled, for a few moments before rolling her eyes and running to the door, poking her head out to call out to Slade.

"Slade can you come up here and help me?" She shouted, hoping he heard her.

"Alright!" He replied, the sound of him running up the stairs two at a time made her pull the door open, smiling sheepishly when he saw her, suit still unzipped at the back.

"Again?" He asked, turning her around gently before pressing a kiss to the bare skin, zipping the suit up slowly in an intimate moment.

"Not my fault." She poked her tongue out before he reached down to grab her bag and swinging it over his shoulder. She grabbed the crossbow off her bed and put it on her back, hearing it click in place against the magnetized back of the suit. She strapped her knives to the inside of her left thigh and calf before following Slade downstairs, grabbing the photo of them from the countertop and slipping it out of the photo frame, tucking it into the top of her suit.

They walked out of the door with an air of urgency surrounding them. He opened the garage, where she was never allowed go in, and she _tried_ to break into the garage. He rolled out two motorcycles, a green one and a black one. She broke out into a grin.

"Yours is the green one." He said, looking at her with a fond admiration. She ran up to the bike, getting on it, straddling it, feet still planted on the ground. 

"This is mine? All mine?" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah. Here's your stuff." He threw the backpack towards her. She caught it, slinging it over her shoulder, hand slipping through the loop of the strap and revving the engine.

"We're going." He said to her. She nodded, before the rode off, down to the main road.

 

 

* * *

 

They ended up somewhere, she doesn't know for sure, where they ended up, all that she knew was they had to leave the villa, fast.

"Slade, where are we going?" She asked, following behind him, looking at him tiredly, after they got off their bikes and hid them, they were trekking through woodland, bugs buzzing around her head, annoying her and making her irritable.

"Shut up kid." The bugs weren't annoying him at all, he was irritated though, because she didn't shut up.

"I'm not a fucking kid!" She shouted at his back, giving him the finger. Before pulling pulling a knife out of its sheath and slashing at tree trunks she walked passed. Each time the blade hit a tree, it resonated a loud clang, visibly making Slade flinch in annoyance.

She kept doing that for another twenty minutes, Slade getting more annoyed until he was glaring back at her everytime she did it.

After that seemed to be the final straw for Slade, as he turned around angrily, snatching the knife out of his hand growling at her, making her snarl back at him:

"Fucking hell kid, stop that!" He shoved her against a tree, taking away the knife before throwing it as far as he could away from them. Before she could get up again to shout back at him, he grabbed her shoulders, stilling her and taking away her knives, throwing them in the same direction. "Stay fucking put!" He ordered, glaring at her. "I'll be back in a few hours." He let go of her, disappearing into the undergrowth of the vegetation.

She sat sulking, her arms crossed, back against the trunk of the tree, eyes narrowed, bottom lip pouting slightly. "Fucking Slade." She grumbled, before making herself comfortable on the dirt and dead leaves.

 

* * *

 

 

She checked her watch, she estimated five hours since Slade yelled at her, and she was hungry as hell. 00:38 her watch glowed. She shivered, the temperature cooling to what felt like -2°. Slade still hadn't come back and she was panicking. Slade never left her alone longer than he needed too, unless he was on a mission and she was safe at the villa. She was worrying her bottom lip between her bottom and top teeth, grinding the skin raw, making her wince when she bit down on her bottom lip by accident when the sound of someone walking through the bushes startled her.

"Oh fuck, kid." Slade looked at her shivering figure on the ground, curled up at the base of the tree trunk, eyes looking up at him conveying her worry and tiredness.

He knelt next to her, pushing her hair off her face before gathering her in his arms, lifting her up. He could feel her shiver when a breeze floated pass. He didn't mean to leave her this long, when he got mad, he went to see if he could set up a safe camp for them to stay, once he was done, he didn't go back because he was still mad at her, and he took his anger out on chopping up some firewood. It had been about four hours before he actually set out to go bring her to the camp when he found her shivering where he left her. She was freezing, and tired. He felt bad, he didn't mean to leave her like that. "It's okay, you're safe now."

“‘M sorry Slade.” She mumbled. “Didn’t mean to make you mad.”

“Oh kid, I’m sorry.” He looked down at her. "Didn't mean to leave you out here for so long, I forgot it could get cold out here." She shivered, pressing her face against his chest, arms wrapping around her shoulders as he carried her through the trees.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When she woke up, she was curled up awkwardly on a stone slab covered in moss with a woollen blanket wrapped around her, edges tucked neatly under her, some of the blanket was fisted in her hands, held to her chest. There was a fire going in front of her, Slade laying down on the opposite side, looking like he was asleep. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, blinking slowly a few times before actually looking around, feeling a cough itching in the back of her throat. She inwardly groaned, she was not getting sick now was she? She coughed, she turned to look at Slade, to see if she woke him up. She sighed, seeing him still asleep. Well she hoped he was asleep. She checked the sides of her 'stone bed' looking for her bag, reaching down to feel for the rough fabric.

She pulled up into her lap, going through it for her phone and earphones, why did she even pack it? Oh yeah, she needed music. She had her camera in there as well, don't know why she packed that, she could have just stole another one. She scrolled through the home screens, looking for the gallery icon before tapping it and swiping the screen straight to the end of the list. She played a short video she made of Slade and her at the waterfall, the first time they went for a swim.

"Put me down Slade!" She heard her own voice yell, the phones camera was aimed at the sky, the sounds of splashing water and Slades laughter made her smile fondly at the video. He tried throwing her into the lake that day, they'd gone exploring after a training session. She'd manage to toss and turn her way out of his grasp, falling onto the ground just before the lake.

She pressed the lock button on her phone as the video ended, dropping her phone back into the bag and tucking her earphones in, before laying back to look up at the sky. The stars were still twinkling meaning she should go back to sleep, but something just stopped her from just drifting off. She sat up again, making sure she wasn't making too much noise, she slowly put her bag on the ground, before maneuvering off the stone slab, trying not to wake Slade. She stood hesitantly, before stepping onto the slab and going over it, maybe to go look around, she wasn't sure yet but there was no way she was going to get any sleep here at the moment.

Just when she thought she could walk away from the camp without Slade waking up, she heard his voice, a voice that belonged to someone who definitely wasn't asleep a few seconds ago, from behind her: 

"And where do you think you're going?" Slade asked. She turned around sheepishly, seeing him watching her from where she thought she was asleep.

"I can't sleep, thought I'd go for a walk around." She mumbled, biting her bottom lip, wincing a teeny bit when it stung where the skin was broken.

"Are you crazy?" He asked, sitting up. 'Don't wander around at night, especially since you were going to go, without telling me, without weapons and you don't know the place, and have no sense of direction whatsoever." He shook his head, making her feel embarrassed and look down at the dirt.

"Sorry."

Slade rolled his eyes at her apology, half tempted to get up and drag her back to the side of the fire and pinch her side for apologising so much. "Can you stop apologising for about five seconds?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose, fed up with hearing the same word come out of her mouth.

"Sorry."

He groaned, looking at her in disbelief, as if to ask her 'Are you crazy?'. She broke out into a small smile, hiding it behind her hand. 

"Why can't you sleep anyway?" He asked. Her eyes had a faraway look in them, as if she was stuck in a memory. *God that sounded so cliche.* Slade shook his head before returning his attentions to her.

"Don't know." She muttered, turning around and going back to the stone slab she called her bed. "It's nothing."

"Hey kid," He began. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here alright." She turned over, facing away from him, tugging the woollen blanket up to her chin. Eyes closing, listening to the rustling of Slade turning on the leaves, the sound of his breathing as it steadied filling the air.

 


	5. 17

_ Past - 28 July, 2017 - 7 years ago _

 

 

* * *

 

 

Slade thought it'd be funny to tie her up and leave her there. Dick. Mainly because she had to learn to get out of those knots. Especially since Slade tied them so tight she'd rubbed her skin raw, struggling against them, admittedly it hurt like hell, and she started bleeding a few hours ago, and thanks to her stupid, constant struggling, she made it all worse, trying to tug her hands forcefully out of the knots. She tried dislocating her thumb, but the rope was too tight around her wrists for her to slip it off even with a dislocated thumb, so she had to go through the agonizing task of pushing her thumb back into place. She wanted to kill him right now. Every few hours he'd walk past, like every five hours he'd check on her, laugh for a bit, then go back to the fire he made. She fell over at one point, the loop slipping down the pole it was tied too, then she had to actually get back up and try undoing the knots again. Slade didn't even give her food since he tied her up.

She slumped against the ground, head lolling slightly as she went limp. She honestly was so close to giving up at this point, she was hungry, tired, her wrists stung every time she moved her hands, her arms ached and her fingertips hurt from trying to pick at the knots. Her legs were tired, her eyes were dropping from tiredness. How long had she been there? Slade was cooking something over the fire, from what she could smell. It made her stomach rumble quietly and her mouth dry. No water either, was this training or torture? She gave it one more attempt to untie the knots, fingers running over the loops as far as she could manage, before tugging at a small bit of it, feeling it loosen slightly. She perked up, pulling at it a bit more and part of it came loose. She tugged her body away from the pole, feeling more freedom to move away from the pole. Leaning back, she began to scramble and unravel, fingers pulling at the knots. Sighing when the rope fell off her wrists. Her eyes closed for a second before she jolted, feeling herself sway side to side. She looked down at her hands, frowning at the blisters on her fingers and wrists, along with the scabs slowing forming on her wrists, rubbed red and raw.

She pulled herself up to her feet, using the pole as a extra hand to help. Once she got to her feet, she stumbled tiredly back to the fire, where Slade sat, concentrating on the fire and the food cooking. She trudged past, ignoring Slade as he looked up at her in surprise before collapsing on the makeshift bed she had, facing away from him. There was no way she was going to talk to him. The least he could have done was give her water or at least food. That was the stupidest fucking exercise that she had to do since she left home with Slade. She pressed her face into the folded cloth she used as pillow, feeling the tension slip from her shoulders as she relaxed, wincing when her wrists brushed against the rough material. She was going to sleep and if Slade thought she was going to stay awake and talk to him, well he could go jump in a hole... full of lions, who haven't been fed, in three weeks, without any weapons for self defense, tied up.

*Oh fuck life!* She groaned inwardly, wincing when she rolled her wrists around experimently, throat still dry. She clenched her eyes shut and tried swallowing any saliva she had, she opened her eyes slowly, reaching across to her pack and feeling around inside it for her water bottle, dragging it back towards her slowly and uncapped it, bringing it to her mouth shakily, taking a sip of the cool water. She let out a small sound of relief, swallowing it slowly. Her wrists still hurt, but she could bandage them tomorrow, that is if Slade let her use the bandages. She capped her water bottle, and left it next to her, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the sounds of Slade busying himself behind her.

 

* * *

 

For some reason, when she woke up, Slade wasn't there. Which was weird, but her first thought was that she might be able to wrap her wrists now that he didn't see how much damage was actually done, and now that she looked at her wrists properly, she could see they needed to be washed out too, fibers from the rope still stuck in her skin. She rummaged through the first aid kit Slade had, grabbing two bandages and looking around for Slade, thinking to grab the rope she was tied with too clean off the blood as well. She went outside, looking for the rope, spotting it still looped around the pole. She bent over to pick it up, trying to see if the blood had dried onto it. Basically the centre of the rope was stained red, making her groan. She was gonna have to clean it before she bandaged her wrists then. Now all she had to do was find water, because she sure as hell was not gonna wash the blood away near the camp.

Okay, where to find water. She looked around before taking off in a random direction, listening for sounds of water moving or the signs of muddy ground. She was wandering for ten or fifteen minutes before actually finding any sign of water. There was a stream, flowing down to what looked like a small pond from what she could see. Spotting a safe place near the water, she sat on a stone next to the stream, gently scooping out the water over her wrists, rubbing gently, feeling the dried blood peel off her skin. Actually cleaning the rope burns and broken skin on the other hand, was harder and taxing her patience, having to get back before Slade did, before he went paranoid and went looking for her. She'd managed to wrap one wrist easily, not too tightly so she could still move her wrists, and if she pulled her sleeves down, you couldn't see the bandages. Doing up the other wrist was slightly harder, being right handed and trying to wrap her right wrist with her left hand, fumbling for the sharp thing that held the bandages together. She paused, before picking up another one from the few she grabbed and pinning it in place.

The rope on the other had was a lost cause, the blood definitely wasn't going to come off, she threw it into the stream, watching it flow down with the current. She turned around, going back the way she came, trudging back, hopefully before Slade came looking for her. 

 

* * *

 

 

Slade came back from where ever he was when the sun was just about to go down, looking tired. He looked at her, perched on the heels of her feet away from his side of the camp, before continuing to where he usually slept during the night, dropping himself to the ground, stretching out like a cat.

She was not going to talk to him, no way in hell was she going to do that, that would be so damn stupid. She was mad at him, well trying to be mad at him anyway, but he was making it harder for her, popping up at random moments, offering her help, or something that he thought would make her more comfortable. Slade was just frustrated with how she was acting and she could damn well tell by the frustration etched onto his face as he paced in front of her.

"Why aren't you talking to me? Kid?" He stood in front of her, looking her in the eyes, scanning her face for a clue. 

She didn't reply, gently maneuvering him to face away from her by the shoulders, before going back to where she stayed quietly.

Slade turned around, confused. "Oh come on, are you going to tell me what this is all about or am I just going to have to force it out of you?" He asked, holding his hand out, pointing at her with his palm.

"Why should you even care?" She shot back. Hell if he was gonna be a little bitch about it she might as well to the same.

"Because you're you, you're fucking you, okay that's why!" Slades hands were moving animatedly, and he was frustrated.

"I hate you so damn much you know that?" She snapped.

 

He glared at her. “If you hate me why the hell are you out here with me? Leave!” He shouted back. She turned to storm away from him, grumbling under her breath, cursing at him.

 

He must have grabbed her bandages because the grip on her wrists were making her wince. He pulled her back towards him, hands holding onto her wrists tightly. She tried pulling away from him but he pulled her back. 

 

“Slade let go.” She moved her hands, trying to get her fingers around his wrist, jostling the bandages under her sleeves. He didn’t let go either, which was hurting her wrists, a lot, and there was no way she’d get him to let go without a reason. 

 

“Kid, stop moving.” He gripped her wrists in restraint, trying to force her to stop moving. “I’ll tie you up again.” He threatened. She growled, seriously? Slade was an absolute idiot, she thought he was supposed to be smart enough to, 1, notice she was hurt, 2, notice she was pissed off because of the knot exercise yesterday and 3, how he was a total dick head sometimes.

 

“Fuck you.” She growled, wrenching her wrists out of his grip, turning her back on him to peel off her sleeves from her bandages, grimacing when she saw the spots of red show through the white cotton.

 

“Kid wait.” She just left him behind her, walking away without paying him any attention, hearing him follow her. He never gave up did he? She brushed off his hand on her shoulder. “Just go away.” She sighed defeatedly.

 

Slade paused, looking at her carefully, before reaching out to her, palm face up. “Just let me...” He took another step towards her, a small smile gracing his features as the back of his fingers brushed against her cheek, her eyes fluttering half-shut. Slade finally noticed the wrappings under her wrists, noticing the different thickness in her forearms. He lifted her hands up, looking at them worriedly, pushing her sleeves up to her elbows and unwrapping them, biting his lip when he saw the abrasions, the rope burn on her skin. 

 

“Did I do this?” He asked softly, if he wasn’t standing directly in front of her, she wouldn’t have heard him ask that. “With the ropes?” She shook her head, hissing when he ran his thumb over the burns, before bringing her hands up to press a kiss to her knuckles.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He questioned. 

 

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Thought you would have called me weak.” She let him lead her back to the camp, sitting her down and grabbing a bottle out of the first aid kit, dabbing whatever was in it onto the burns.

 

“I’m sorry.” Slade mumbled, engrossed in the task of wrapping her burns gently. He was quiet, looking at the burns, angry at himself for letting her get hurt, from one of his own training sessions, it made him feel so ashamed, especially since he left her there to struggle out of those knots for almost 29 hours. He felt really bad, he never treated her right, well he had good days, sometimes, hardly as much as she deserved. “How ‘bout, when we stop camping out somewhere where we train, we take a long deserved holiday, let’s say, to the beach, just you and me? Huh, what do you say, I’ll even teach you how to surf?” He smiled down at her, her brown, near black eyes glittered and she perked up at the word beach.

 

“You’d try and teach me to surf?” She asked incredulously.

 

“I want you to have fun and enjoy yourself, and if you’d have fun learning to surf, then sure I will.” He smiled, winding his arms around her shoulders, pulling them close together. He nuzzled kisses into the back of her neck.

 

They sat in a comfortable silence, leaning into each others warmth. Slade was running his fingers through her hair, untangling the knots at the very ends of the strands.

 

“Slade?” She said after a while, the sun was going down, bathing the scenery around them in an orange glow. He hummed tightening his arms around her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” She apologized, turning her face so that her cheek rested against his chest. “Sometimes, I’m just worried I may never be good enough for your standards, in anything really.

 

“Ki- Charlotte, you’re always good enough.” He whispered.

 

 


	6. 18

Past - 14 February, 2018 - 6 years ago

 

 

They had their first official date on Valentine’s Day. She’d actually taken the effort to go out and buy a new dress, have her nails done, no way was anyone else touching her hair, that was a massive no, a massive F-u-c-k-n-o. The dress she bought was green, strapless and stopped mid thigh, with blue lightning strikes faded into the background, it wasn’t too tight fitting. She wanted to be able to breathe. Her nails were neon green, matching her purse and heels. She shuddered. Heels, when did she ever wear heels out. Oh yeah... when she wanted to dress up for Slade.

If she was right, he should be here in ten minutes, and by here, meant their usual meeting point in the city, under the bridge. She had a bad gut feeling about the place though, she never liked creeps, coming up to her, trying to take her home to their apartment for a one night stand, fuck that. 

She spotted a car pulling up along the side of the rode, Maserati, she noted. The window rolled down, revealing Slade looking impeccable in a dark, midnight blue suit with white shirt and grey and blue checked tie. 

“You coming?” He asked cheekily, before leaning over and pushing open the passengers seat.

“Hi Slade.” She smiled shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“Evening darling.” He drawled, accent thickening. “So we’re going somewhere Russian, so I know I’m going to get to recommend all the wonderful dishes for you to try out. Is there anything else I missed out?”

“Not that I know of, I don’t do dates much.” She mumbled. Slade’s hand found its way to hers, linking their fingers, squeezing her fingers. 

“We figure it out together then.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

She was so nervous about how this date would turn out. Honestly, Slade had probably gone out with other women, better than her, more beautiful, older, more confident than her. He even had a kid with one so she felt small compared to the other women in the restaurant, especially those eyeing her and Slade.

They appreciated his good looks in the scene of the restaurant, putting most of their own dates to shame in comparison. She bit her lip worriedly. He pulled the seat out for her, being all gentleman-like and sweet. He seemed to notice she was nervous, squeezing her shoulder with one hand, he leaned down, lips next to her ear, whispering:

“Relax and everything will be just fine.” He soothed, before taking his seat opposite her. He laid his hand on the table, closer to hers, fingers just brushing, making her feel a slight bit more comfortable with the situation. He tapped Morse code to her, making her smile with random words and sayings, sometimes song lyrics or making fun of groups of giggling women, complimenting her.

While their food stayed mostly untouched, because they were having way too much fun trying to deduce the random women giving her the evil eye and Slade appreciative looks. Slade constantly made sure there was some sort of skin-skin contact between each other,

‘You see the woman in red?’ He tapped, eyes flicking over to the bar. She looked over and spotted her easily, the over the top make up, the tight dress and the bright red heels. She made Charlotte shudder, and a slight bit insecure. Slade tapped out another message. ‘She’s been staring at _you_ for the last ten minutes.’ 

“Wha-ah?” She gasped, her lip biting obvious. “Did I do something wron-”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” Slade growled, before moving his chair closer to her and leaning next to her ear, whispering to her: 

“You are doing beautifully, maybe there’ll be a tiny reward if you can boost up you confidence for the rest of the night.” He nipped her earlobe, laughing when she turned scarlet.

“Challenge accepted.” She winked, hand creeping under the table onto his knees, stroking his thigh idly with two fingers. She never turned down a challenge at all and hell it was fun to try to see how far it took to have Slades resolve snap.

So far he had is amazingly good looking poker face on, she moved her chair next to him, since they weren’t going to order any desert. If anyone else looked, they’d just see her move closer to Slade but she grinned, from ear to ear, hand moving up his thigh slowly, fingers stroking very close to the slight tent he was sporting.

“So tell me baby, what was that about a reward?” She asked cheekily, breathing against his neck, biting his neck lightly, hearing his breathing hitch.

“Tell me more, what do you want for a reward?” Slade whispered, voice lowered to a rasp, trying to hold on. It wasn’t massive shows that made him attracted to her, it was the innocence she added to things, like the smile she was wearing right now, with her hand practically stroking his dick and her mouth on his neck.

“Well... you know what I want? I want you to manhandle me everywhere, making sure everyone knows I’m yours, I want your hands on me, making me feel fucking amazing when you’re fucking me hard and deep because you don’t want anyone to get their hands on me, that’s what I want.” She even finished the explanation with an innocent smile. “Can you do that Sladie?” She teased, hand palming him through his trousers.

“Oh it’s on babe.” Slade whispered, before standing up, going to pay the bill, taking Charlotte with him by the arm, his arm snaking around her waist possessively as he tipped the waiter big time.

They walked out of the restaurant, heading straight towards the car. “See either I can take you in the back seat now, or make you wait until we get back to the hotel for what I’m going to do to you.” He smirked. She turned red, leaning over to peck Slade on the cheek, hand sliding into his lap.

 

* * *

 

 

Slade didn’t know she’d gotten a tattoo since he last saw her naked (And that was an accident walking into the shower without knocking). It was the map of the world, spanning across her shoulder blades and down her back were different dates. On her lower back was the date Slade broke into her house, and instead of the cliche angel wings that framed the date, it was a pair of katanas.

“When did you get this?” He asked, fingers tracing the thin ink lines forming Australia. She turned her head to look over shoulder at him with a small smile and half lidded eyes. 

“A couple of weeks ago. Why?” She let her head fall back onto the pillow, closing her eyes. She felt Slade press a kiss to her shoulder, his arm slung over her waist pulling her to him. They lay in a comfortable silence, Slade pressing a kiss to her back every few minutes. So far she liked this Valentine’s Day, maybe because she was spending it with Slade in bed.

“Are you tired?” He asked her. She nodded slightly, eyes blinking, leaning back against Slades chest, feeling the heat radiate off his skin.

“Go to sleep,” He cooed, holding her.

She ended up drifting of, the faint thumps of Slades heart beat lulling her to closer to sleep until she just closed her eyes, giving up on trying to stay awake.

 

* * *

 

 

Slade wanted to treat her like a princess. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, except kill her, of she wanted him to hurt her, unless it was in the bed (because he found out she had a masochistic streak) he would never hurt her otherwise. Sometimes he knew how she felt, could tell by the look in her eyes, or her bottom lip, whether she was biting it or pout, the slightly hint of a frown and her eyes slowly closing whenever she was tired. Which was now, he could hear the little whistling noise she made through her teeth when she slept.  She curled into his body, attracted to his body heat, she was like that, she’d set the temperature for the AC to be freezing cold, and then she clung to him seeking the warmth, she was unique, because she wasn’t even doing that just to cuddle him, when he asked her about it, he found out she just loved sleeping in the cold and having someone or something warm next to her whether it be him or her pillow. She was using him as a pillow now, she’d turned soon after her eyes closed, wrapping her arms around Slade and hugging him, one leg slung over his own, while her other leg stretched out, their feet touching.

“Истребитель.” He whispered, stroking her hair. That’s what she was, he loved seeing her fight through everything that gets thrown at her. She shifted slightly, trying to pulling him closer to her. He smiled, looking down at her face. 

He ran a hand down her side, mapping out the freckles and marks on her skin, down to the curve of her arse. She was just perfect, he propped himself up on his elbow kissing down the path he mapped with his hand. He’ll always wonder why she came with him. He’ll always wonder why he was the one she always went to, for advice, for help, even for sex.

Charlotte turned onto her stomach, arm still outstretched, holding onto his torso. Fingers pressing into his ribs.

He pressed a kiss to the side of her face before wrapping his arm around her, pulling her close.


	7. 18

Past - 24 March, 2018 - 6 years ago

 

 

She wiped away the vomit on the side of the sink, massaging the side of her head in frustration. She’d been sick the past month, she’d gone to a doctor but he said it was just a fever, she had no friends here. Not that it was a problem but she wished she had another person to talk to, a girl, you know because Slade’s Slade. She couldn’t tell him everything, because if she told him why she thought she was sick, he’d probably go mad, because there was no way this could happen.

There was one person, she could call. She reached for her phone on the counter, scrolling through the contacts list down to ‘T’. She swiped the icon, waiting for an answer, counting the electronic beeps.

“Hello?” The familiar voice asked on the phone.

“Hello, Thea, it’s Charlotte, I need to talk to you.” She said desperately.

“Charlotte. What is it?” Thea asked, Charlotte tired to slow her breathing, leaning against the sink on her elbows.

“I think I’m pregnant.” She breathed shakily.

“Tell me where you are, I’ll pick you up. We can go to a doctor.”

“I’m at my boyfriends flat.” She answered. “34 Williams Street, Apartment 13B.” 

“I’ll be there Charlotte, just hold on.” The tell tale click over the phone told her Thea had hung up. She pocketed her phone, before gargling water in her mouth then spitting it out, going to get changed from the shorts and top she wore to bed. Slade was still asleep on the bed, finally sleeping for longer than 6 hours. She looked at him with a small smile on her face, going over to the side of the bed, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek. 

“I’m going out with a friend Slade, I’ll be back, love you.” She whispered, running her hand down his arm, before straightening and going to the door. She took one last look at Slade before pulling Slades leather jacket off the hook on the wall, slipping out the door, pulling it over her arms. She waited outside the apartment building, looking around nervously for Theas car.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Thea pulled up, rolling down the window to nod her head at the passenger seat. She jogged around the front, pulling open the door and sliding into  the seat. 

“Nice jacket.” Thea commented.

She blushed. “It’s Slades.” She reached over for a one armed hug, smiling when she pulled away. 

“So... let’s go.” She said, pulling out onto the street.

 

* * *

 

 

“So tell me, when was the last time you had sexual intercourse with your boyfriend?” The doctor asked, looking at Charlotte like a disappointed parent. She rolled her eyes before answering:

“Valentine’s Day.” She rubbed her wrist nervously.

“So it’s been a month since you’ve done anything else?” She nodded, looking at Thea.

“So we’re just going to do an ultrasound, so you’ll have to lie down here.” The doctor moved over to a chair, leading both her an Thea. “So we’ll just out this gel on your stomach, it’ll be cold.” She nodded, laying down on the chair, lifting her shirt just above her stomach, looking at Thea worriedly. 

She shivered as the gel was rubbed onto her stomach, the doctor lifting some sort of device, rubbing it over her skin, with the gel over her skin. On the screen on the side, she could see the sketchy picture, a tiny spot of white against black.

She felt her heart stop for a moment. Slade wouldn’t want kids, why would he, if she was pregnant, she wouldn’t be able to fight and he’d have to look after her 24/7. She bit her lip, hoping Thea could guess what she was thinking, this was going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

 

“I can’t stay with Slade. He won’t want a kid, oh god. Thea what will I do?” She was panicking. She couldn’t stay with Slade. She couldn’t have the baby, no way.

“Charlotte. You can’t just decide to abort him or something, I mean, why not have him and give him up for adoption, or you can tell Slade.” Thea told her, holding her hand. “And if you don’t want to tell Slade, stay with me till you give birth to him, I’m sure my mum won’t mind. You’re my friend.”

“We can go back and get my stuff. Slade won’t mind.” She said. 

“Alright.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

**_1 month later_ **

 

“You can see more of your baby bump now.” Thea commented when she stretched her arms out. Oliver, Thea and her were sitting on the couch, watching a TV show that came on a half hour ago. They were going to lunch in 20 minutes, at some Russian place that Oliver went to.

“You’re going to keep it?” Oliver asked, hand reassuringly placed on her shoulder. He’d welcomed her to their mansion, he was worried when Thea announced why she was staying here instead of with Slade, not that Oliver even know she was dating Slade. She told Thea not to tell him incase Oliver thought it’d be a good idea to hunt Slade down for not being supportive.

“I’m putting him up for adoption when he’s born, my boyfriend... he doesn’t want kids at the moment. He was in the Navy, said something about wanting to take it slow and just relax.” She answered him. He gave her a soft smile, holding her hand and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.

“Does Slade know where you are?” Thea asked. The siblings had been overly protective over her since they knew that she was pregnant, she honestly was scared, scared of what Slades reaction would be if he found out.

“Your boyfriends name is Slade?” Oliver asked surprised. She picked up the expression easily, although Ollie schooled his face into a calm expression, she could tell by the way his mouth tilted slightly to a frown, looking at her, calculating something in his brain.

Her phone rang as if on cue, buzzing on the table. She reached forward, answering it straight away.

“Привет Darc.” She answered in Russian, as the number flashing was a Russian contact.“Slade? Почему вы совершаете звонок из своего телефона? No, Я не в беде. Я на друзей.” She froze, sitting up properly. “Больница письмо? Я не болен, это ничего.” She got up walking over to the other side of the room.

“Don’t you dare open it!” She hissed into the phone. She bit her lip, fingers aching from clenching the phone tightly. “Slade!” She whispered shouted. She ended the call frustrated, looking at Oliver and Thea helplessly, biting her lip, cheeks flushed. Thea automatically stood up, going over to her, wrapping her in a hug, feeling her chest rising gently. 

“He’s going to know...” She muttered, her arms around Theas shoulders, Oliver rubbed her shoulders, standing warmly behind her, a comforting figure.

“It’ll be alright, everything will be fine.” Oliver said promisingly. Thea smiled, taking her hand.

“Now let’s head out to lunch!” Thea said cheerfully, rocking on the balls of her feet in enthusiasm.

 

* * *

 

"Are you sure you don't want that?" Oliver asked, looking down at the menu.

"I'll just have the Lymonnyk, I'm fine with that." She answered.

"I'm surprised you're not eating more." He laughed, leaning forward smiling. "She needs the food." He nodded at her stomach.

"You're eating for two now." Thea added.

"You gotta admit though, I do not look good fat." She laughed, poking her own stomach.

"You look fine." Thea assured. She reached over to her, grin plastered on her face. "I need to take you shopping for clothes too."

"Thea I don't even like clothes shopping." She protested, shaking her head. "You'll spoil me."

"That's the plan." Oliver added. She smiled, leaning back in her chair, relaxing into the warmth of the sun shining down on her back.

 


	8. 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if people understand the chapter names, but the first 7 are her actual ages. Starting from now, the names of the chapters are the age that's on her ID. So two years older than she actually is.  
> Also, so sorry it took this long to update. I banged out 7 chapters and then got writers block but I hope you enjoy it and not hate me for what I'm about to do, I'm just sick rn and I'm trying to get closer to the actual plot of the story.  
> I would also like to add that this story is an Alternate Universe which I forgot to put into the tags so basically we know that Malcolm is Thea's dad and you can't judge me for what happens in later chapters.

18th May 2018

 

 

"Kid if you're hearing these voicemails pick up the bloody phone. We need to talk." Slade paced around the living room in their apartment, frustrated. She just dropped off the face of the earth for a month, then he called her using Darcs phone, and she picked up instantly. He just wanted to know where she was, that and why she tried to hide the fact she was pregnant, with his kid. He must have given her the wrong impression about it because he really did want kids, just the fact she was still young, eighteen and already having a kid, while they went on missions was too dangerous for her. He wanted to settle down with her, they could build a future together. Not right now, and not like this, he needed to find her, or he was going to go mad.

He could trace her phone, it was still on and he did check the tracker her placed inside, he just wanted to see if she'd come home to him first. He sighed, sitting down at the dining table, pulling the laptop in front of him, typing in the password and opening the tracking software. So she was still in the city, thank god for that.

He glanced down at his phone again, noticing the small green light blinking, indicating he had a message.

****

_To: Sladie Wadie <3_

_'Slade, I'm figuring you know now. I'm coming back in a few hours, if you don't want to see me again it's fine, I'll just pack and leave. -Charlotte xx'_

 

**_To: Charlotte Bear (THE QUEEN)_ **

**_'Please be safe, I want to talk to you when you get home, I'll be waiting in the living room.'_ **

**_Slade._ **

****

* * *

 

Slade waited the full 'few' hours ... which happened to be two by the time Charlotte got home. And when she walked through that door the first thing he did was wrap his arms around her waist and tug her into a hug, careful of her stomach, burying his face into her hair, breathing in the unfamiliar smell of lemon scented shampoo.

"I missed you." He muttered into her hair.

"Я скучал по тебе тоже." She mumbled back, holding tightly onto him.

He pulled away, holding her at arms length by the shoulders, looking at her with a confused expression. “Why?”

Because… you don’t… you don’t want this.” She whispered, staring down at her feet. “You’ve never wanted this...You never liked the idea at all and when it came up by accident you wouldn’t talk about it. It’s all just something that you don’t want. Which by default means that I have to go…and I will.” She shrugs out of his grip, moving across the floor with an edge of sadness. He followed her across the apartment as she went into their room, he followed behind her, closing the door behind him.

“Where’d you go kid? Just disappear off the face of the map for a month all for this? I couldn’t…I didn’t know where the hell you were!” He snapped, annoyed. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

“Because I don’t know how!” She spun around, wide eyed and afraid. “Most night, I wake up, and I think I’m back in my old room and I’ve never met you… and I can’t find you. Can’t see you because you aren’t there. The rest of the nights I gotta wonder if you’re coming back to me or not? Or if you’re dead in a ditch! I’m afraid Slade. I’m scared!”

Slade stepped forward, pulling her close. Charlotte whimpered and melted into the hug, eyes closing, giving her trust to him.

“If you ever… feel like that… ever again. I need you to talk to me.” He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, running a hand down her back. “Now… we have to talk about the… about the letter. I can’t make decisions for you and. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. And if you want… we can keep them.” He murmured into her ear.

She nodded against his chest and he steered them both to the couch, pulling her down gently with him as he sat down. She nuzzled into his chest immediately, breathing in the smell of his cologne and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

“Ollie thinks it’s a boy but Thea’s betting it’s a girl… W-What do you think?” She asked quietly and he ran a hand down her side to her stomach, hand slipping under her shirt, resting lightly on the skin.

“I think our baby will be beautiful and a fighter, just like her mother.” He murmured and she closed her eyes content with the answer.

“Where were you baby girl?” He kissed her forehead, then her cheeks.

“Friend’s place…I needed another girl around… I didn’t mean to make you worry. I just… you’ve always said, how I was too young to settle down, or just do anything in general even though my I.D says that I’m 20 you know I’m not and it’s just… daunting me sometimes and you could be with someone that you could have a life with and I just think that that person isn’t me.” She mumbles. “I just have insecurity issues basically.” She turned her head to look up at him and shrugged before making herself comfortable again, this time keeping her head facing Slade. He leaned down to kiss her slowly and smiled into the kiss when she responded, pushing up into the kiss.

“Let’s… come on, we can finish this in our room… in our bed.” He gripped her thighs, shifting her so that she lay on top of him before pushing one elbow against the cushion and standing. He hiked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Come on baby girl… we’ll have fun.” He kissed her neck before tilting his head to look where he was going, walking to their bedroom, hip checking the ajar door open and taking three steps before laying her onto the bed. He straightened and went back to the door, closing it with a soft thud and he turned, raising his eyebrows.

She smiled from the bed, sliding a hand down her waist to her hips teasingly, fingers creeping under the waistband of the jeans she was wearing.

“Come on Slade.” She winked as she hooked two fingers on the waistband and pulled them down slowly. He eyed her hungrily as he stalked forward, shucking off his shirt and shorts as he went, then his boxers as he locked eyes with her, crawling over her.

“Can’t fucking wait, love you.” He growled as he leaned down to nip at the exposed skin on her neck. “Mine.”

* * *

 

They lay there on a mess of twisted sheets, clothes on the floor, thin sheen of sweat covering their skin as they slowed their breathing, trying to slide each others hands across sensitive skin to tease each other.

His nails raked down her skin, digits stopping at her hips to pull them closer to him as he rolled them so she was on top of him. He smiled up at her, hands holding her close as he lifted his head to nuzzle at her neck, making her giggle softly. She kissed his cheek and planted her hands on either side if his head into the pillow.

“Я скучаю спит рядом с вами.” Slade whispered, hands sliding at her lower back looping around her waist as she pressed closer, chest to chest as she nuzzled his cheek without a word.

“It took me hours to fall asleep without you. I’m so used to you being my pillow, I had to sleep in Ollies’ room and it still wasn’t good enough to be you.” She kissed him in a slow, sweet way, gentle passion pouring through their connection.

Slade left his arms hooked around her waist, just holding her, gentle and sweet as they cuddled against each other, exchanging kisses every once and a while.

  
  



	9. 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte and Slade have a little trouble in paradise. The Hood has his work cut out for him when another hooded figure shows up when he runs into Dark Archer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made a tumblr for this fic you can find it here: http://l-k-norse-runaway.tumblr.com  
> It's only just started and since no one does fan art for me, I have to do all the artwork myself.  
> Um.. That's it I guess. I was supposed to post this two days ago.

  


* * *

 

 

20th Feb 2019:

 

Ever since she’d gone back to Slade after staying with Thea and Oliver, she’d been put off duty. Until… until the night of her labour, where she’d gone with Thea and Oliver to the hospital instead of Slade. Why? Because Slade was in South Africa on a mission. He’d turn his phone off and didn’t return any calls. At the hospital. Charlotte was in pain, not just physical but emotional. Thea and Oliver were sitting in the plastic chairs that the hospital had provided, hands on hers, comforting as the nurses told them what had happened to her baby.

Her baby was a she. Keyword - was. Her baby had died of unknown causes when the nurses had taken her away to clean her up. The news was devastating. Charlotte sat in her hospital bed, trying to hold back her tears as the nurse finished her recount, and left. Oliver and Thea watched solemnly before Thea had wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug and Ollie had gripped her hand, thumb running over her knuckles.

“Why isn’t Slade here?” Thea murmured to Oliver when they’d both stepped out of Charlotte’s hospital room.

“I don’t know Thea. Maybe he’s away for work? Cheating on her? I don’t know, but I’ll try to find out. I promise. I don’t like seeing her like this.” He pursed his lips, eyes glancing back to her hospital room. “Stay with her, I’ll see if Diggle can found out why he’s in South Africa.” He turned and started down the corridor as Thea turned back to Charlottes’ hospital room.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

25th August 2019:

7:47 am

 

Slade had come back from his mission in South Africa a week ago. She’d gone to pick him up, smiled and gave him a kiss, and frowned when he checked the backseat for their baby. He said nothing about it until they got home, and Slade glanced around their apartment confused.

“Where is she?” He asked, turning to her.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow before lifting Slade’s duffel and carrying it to the guest room. “Food’s in the pantry as usual, the bed’s setup for you. I’m going to Oliver's to spend the night.” She listed calmly, turning around.

“Charlotte, what’s going on?” He asked, eyes widening as she walked towards the door.

“I don’t know Slade… Maybe you should have asked that when I went into labour and you weren’t here.” She sneered, gripping the door knob and yanking the door open, stalking out and slamming the door behind her.

Slade stood shocked and concerned, the sound of the door slamming shut behind Charlotte still ringing in his ears. What the hell just happened? He looked around the apartment, now noticing how much of a mess it really was. To see the couch, with the pillows scattered on the coffee table, the door to their bedroom was half open, and the bed was a mess, the kitchen had a few dishes piled up in a sink and the shelf above the fireplace in the corner was missing their photos from the past 9 years.

He dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed her number, hearing her ringtone coming from their room. She’d left her phone there too. Was she breaking up with him? Was she sick of him?

Oliver? Who the hell was that? Were they over? He went to their room, her phone was laying on the bedside table, the missed call notification blinking, lighting up the screen in daunting words. He tried to unlock the screen, frowning when the words ‘Wrong PIN’ came up on screen. She changed her password too. He growled, throwing her phone against the wall in fear and anger. Storming out of their room, he glared around the empty apartment seeing red. Thoughts running through his head dangerously. He shoved at the lamp on the table behind the couch, hearing the shattering sound of its ceramic body as it hit the ground. Staring at the shards of pottery on the hardwood floor, he froze, sinking feeling in his chest. She was gone… She’d just walked out of his life like it was nothing, and whose fault was that?

 

* * *

 

 

25th August 2019:

10:18 pm

 

She had gone back to their apartment at ten, grabbing her suit out off the closet and her crossbow from the casing under their bed. Slade was in the guest room asleep when she’d wandered into the apartment. Her suit fit like she remembered, although she hadn’t worn in in ages, since Slade had found out about the baby he’d locked the suit away and didn’t let her near it. She’d found her bolts in a box in the hall closet and she clipped them onto the magnetized belt that Slade had specifically gifted for her. She tucked her knives into her sheaths in her boots and the strapped sheath on her thigh as well as the sheaths on her hips, strapping the last two onto her arms.

She’d taken one glance back from the door to Slade back in her room, before reaching for Slades’ old leather hoodie, lifting her crossbow and slipping the hoodie on, before locking the crossbow back onto it’s magnetized plate. Instead of taking the stairs down to the ground floor where her motorbike was, she made her way to the window and up the fire escape.

The wind whipped across her face as she pulled herself up onto the roof, she kept an eye out over the closer streets. She wandered the city, going from rooftop to rooftop. She heard a shout as she jogged across a rooftop and ran to the edge to investigate. Gripping a specific bolt from her belt she turned and tipped herself over the roof, firing it at the edge of the building as she fell. The bolt divided and split into a grappling hook and embedded itself into the brickwork as she fell. The jolting tug on her arm signaling that the hook was holding, as she braced herself to plant her feet against the wall of the building before scaling down to the alley way, seeing two hooded figures, a man unconscious on the ground, and a woman running from the scene, make up messed up and her handbag clutched to her chest.

With her hood flipped up and her crossbow drawn, she planted her feet on the ground, noticing that the two hooded figures staring at her, one clad in black, the other in green. The green hooded figure raised an arm, palm open.

“Who are you?” He asked, voice distorted and electronic. She narrowed her eyes and clipped her crossbow onto the magnetized plate.

“Shadow Stranger… Who are you?” The green clad firgures head tilted in somewhat a form a recognition.

“Dark Archer.” He said, voice calm. “Haven’t seen you around here before?” He flirted and she rolled her eyes, tucking her hands into her suits pockets. The man in green looked like he was rolling his eyes. The Dark Archer stepped forward, eyes glittering.

“I’m only back in business.” She smirked and bit her lip. “Had a situation that kept me off the streets.”

“As much as the flirting is granted Dark Archer. We have work to do.” The green clad man said, interrupting the banter.

“I’m sorry Shadow Stranger. My friend’s a little impatient.” Dark Archer blew a kiss to her before turning to the other man. “Dammit Hood, let me have my peace.” He grinned and shot a wink at her.

Charlotte smirked. Hood and Dark Archer. Interesting names. “Well, I’ll be off boys. She jumped up onto a trashcan in the alleyway before jumping for the fire escape on the building, pulling herself up onto the metal stairwell.

“I’ll see you Shadow Stranger.” Dark Archer called from the alleyway.


	10. 21

26th August 2019:

00:01 am

 

She’d found her way to another roof, sitting on the raised ledge with wind whipping around her face and making her hood flutter as the wind snuck into it to cool the back of her neck, kicking her feet looking out over the city.

“You having fun up there?” She turned her head, seeing the Dark Archer standing at the door to the roof.

“Dark Archer… What are you doing up here? Not with your friend?” She shot back, leaning back and swing her legs over back to face him, eyes meeting his.

“My friend went home, I… I wanted to find out more about you.” He smiled. She stood, crossing her feet and stepping closer to him, grin on her face.

“And… a man like you doesn’t have connections to find me? Just decided to find me yourself?”

Dark Archer grinned, stepping in front to her and lifting a hand to her hood, back of his gloved knuckles to brush against the leather of the hood before she pulled back. She backed out of his reach, teasing smile on her face before she turned, jogging to the edge of the building and smiling with a hand on her cross bow.

“Gotta catch me first Archer.”

Dark Archer chuckled as she raised her crossbow, loaded with another one of the grappling hook bolts and she tipped herself back off the roof, giggling to herself when she heard Dark Archer gasp and as she shot the grappling hook from her crossbow, she saw Dark Archer lean over the edge as she steadied herself, jolt in her arm signaling the hook had caught and she scaled down the wall before running off, into the darkness of the back end of the alley way.

  
  
  


26th August 2019:

01:06 am

 

“You’re hard to keep up with Shadow Stranger.” Dark Archer panted as he cornered her on the edge of another roof.

“I was taught to play hard to get.” She smiled as Dark Archer stepped closer to her, hand lifted up to her face, back of his knuckles brushing against the leather hood, nudging it back, off her head. She looked up at him, eyes wide, her eyeliner smudged around her eyes. He smiled back, and her hand came up to his mask and hood, pushing the hood back and fiddling with the mask back to stare at blue eyes and dark messy hair that complimented his eyes and alluring features. When the mask came free, he cupped her cheek gently, gloved hand cool against her skin.

“Well aren’t you beautiful…” He murmured, voice calm and deep. She shivered, head ducking down as the wind whipped past them. He tilted her head up to look at him and leaned down, leaning in closer. Her eyes fluttered shut instinctively and she felt the cool press off lips against her own, another gloved hand coming up to her cheek, guiding her, pulling her against him gently and persuasively.

Her hands slid up into his hair, fingers twisting at the dark locks tangled between her fingers. He moaned into the kiss, hands sliding down from her cheeks, down her body to her waist, pulling her against him, gripping her waist tight.

They pulled apart when she felt her chest tighten and she stared up at him.

“What do you want?” He murmured, hand sliding down to her hip, cupping her ass, fingers pressing into leather covered flesh.

“What you can’t give…” Dark Archer grinned, pulling her away from where they stood too the door on the rooftop that led to the stairwell. Instead of going through the door, he slammed her against it, hands groping and grabbing at her as she moaned, his lips pressed against hers in a lustful claim.

He rested his forehead against her own, hands gripping her hips as her legs wrapped around his waist easily, the buckles on her boots pressing against his back him as she grinded against his hips, arms thrown around his shoulders, clutching him close.

“Fuck!” He breathed, hips thrusting against hers. “Why are you so… God as soon as you showed up, I knew I was gone.” She arched her back against the cold surface of the wall, pressing chest-to-chest against Dark Archer.

“Jesus fuc-ck.” She stammered, hips grinding against his harder, her legs pulling him closer to her.

“We’re not having sex on a roof.” He panted as he pulled her away from the door, forcing her legs down onto the ground. “If we do this, we do this right, in a bed.” He brushed her hair out of her face.

“No time now…” She murmured. “I have to get back.”

He pulled away from her as she flipped up her hood, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Dark Archer lifted his mask from where it was abandoned on the roof top, clipping it back into place before raising his hood. When he turned back, he saw Shadow Stranger tilt back over the edge of the rooftop, crossbow in hand.

God what would he give to find her again.


	11. 21

**26th August 2019:**

**04:29 am**

 

Charlotte had snuck into the Queen residence in her suit, hood still covering her head as she crept to Oliver’s room. Since Thea only had a single bed back at the Queen estate, she was sharing with Oliver, since he had a double bed. She cracked the door open, praying Oliver was still asleep as she crept into the room.

“Nice to see you’re back from wherever you were?” He said from the bed, leaning back on his elbows.

She froze, biting her lip anxiously.

“Charlotte Darcie Kazakov.” He stated, sitting up in the bed. “Daughter of Alexandr and Anya Kazakov, orphan at age 17.”

“How do you know that?” She lifted her arm towards her crossbow before noticing that Oliver wasn’t wearing his usual pajamas, being just his boxers. Instead he was clad in green leather, just like the Hood was four hours ago. “You’re Hood. Dark Archer’s friend.”

“I have my connections.” He swung his legs off the bed and stood, stalking over to her. “Tonight was dangerous, bad enough you were out there, alone. It’s worse now that you’re known as one of Thea’s friends, my friend.” She rolled her eyes and went to the bathroom to take off her suit and change into her pajamas.

“I’m fine Oliver, I can take care of myself.” She muttered as he shook his head disapprovingly, watching when she slid under the covers.

“Nudge over, I can’t be bothered walking round the other side.” He ordered as he lifted the covers on her side. She slid over, into the warmth where Oliver was laying in a few moments ago. She sighed, burying her face into the pillow, relaxing into the cosiness.

“What were you doing out there Charlotte?” He mumbled from his pillow,

“Nothing Ollie, just leave it be.” She turned away from him, arms tucking under her body.

Oliver huffed, before laying on his back as he stared up at the ceiling, confused,

  
  


**26th August 2019:**

**07:07 am.**

 

Charlotte woke up to the sound of her shower running instead of her alarm. The shower turned off when she’d finally decided to pull the covers off her legs and slid out of bed and straight onto the floor. Groaning she crawled halfway before standing to stare into the mirror Ollie had.

Dark bags under her eyes made her growl as she scoured Ollie’s room for her make up kit that she had left behind from her last stay at the Queen residence. When she’d finally found it under Ollie’s bedside table, the bathroom door opened, shower turned off as Ollie stepped outside, towel wrapped around his waist.

She yelped, covered her eyes with one hand, the other touching the bed so she wouldn’t walk into it as she walked towards the bathroom.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen it before!” Ollie called as she slammed the door shut behind her. Her shower was short, the shower head pointed directly at her, temperature on the hottest it could go. Her skin was smoking when she stepped out of the shower, lights in the bathroom highlighting the steam lifting from her warm skin. She froze when she realized she didn’t bring her clothes into the bathroom with her, before groaning in defeat. This was obviously going to be a bad day for her.

She cracked the bathroom door open, shivering when the cool air of Oliver’s room hit her skin. The room was empty, Oliver must have gone downstairs to have breakfast. She crept out, towel wrapped around her, tucked neatly as she ruffled through Oliver’s clothes looking for something to wear. Her own clothes were in the bottom drawer, but she prefered to steal Oliver’s warm sweatshirts and jumpers, with the scent of his cologne still lingering on them.

Dressed in one of Ollie’s sweatshirts and shorts that Ollie definitely can’t fit anymore, she took a quick five minutes to do her make up, trying to hide the bags under her eyes, before tossing the makeup kit onto the bed and going for the door before pausing, going back for her phone.

Phone in hand, she left the room and wandered down the stairs hearing voices coming from the dining room, which was weird since Ollie and Thea usually took her straight to the kitchen to get breakfast.

“Ollie?” She wandered into the dining room curious before freezing awkwardly, feeling under dressed as she spotted a man in a suit talking to Oliver, Thea and Moira. Thea perked up when she saw her and the man turned, noticing her distracted appearance. She felt her heart stop for a second as her brown eyes met blue. The same blue eyes that were on the rooftop last night before she came back.

“Hello.” Dark Archer recovered faster than she did, extending a hand to her. Behind him, Thea, Ollie and Moira watched carefully, Oliver looking somewhat intimidating as she stepped forward, taking his hand nervously and shaking it.

“Malcolm Merlyn.” He introduced himself. She nodded, hand still clasped around his, her eyes meeting his.

“Charlotte Kazakov.” They dropped hands, and Charlotte tucked her hands into the pockets of Ollies’ shorts. Oliver stepped around Malcolm, placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

“Charlotte’s staying with us for a while Malcolm.” He said, voice devoid of emotion. Olivers fingers dug into her painfully as he tightened his grip on her shoulder, almost glaring at Malcolm as his eyes met hers, glittering with something she couldn’t read, smirk sliding onto his face. “I hope that isn’t a problem.”

“Not at all Oliver…” He turned away from Oliver slowly, eyes lingering on Charlotte before they moved to Thea and Moira.

Oliver turned her away by her shoulder and marched her out of the dining room, hand still tight on her shoulder. They’d made it to the steps before she wriggled out of his grip turning to face him.

“That’s Dark Archer. What is he doing here?” She asked, hissing as she lifted a hand to rub her shoulder tenderly. “And why did you grab me like that?”

“Charlotte you can’t go near him.” Oliver stated, as if he could order her around.

“What the hell Oliver, you can’t tell me what to do!” She protested.

His eyes were hard and stern. “I heard everything that happened last night on that rooftop. I planted a tracker as soon as I got the chance after I realized it was you. I planted one on him too. Whatever you’re doing, what game you’re playing? Don’t involve Merlyn. He’s not a good man.” Oliver warned, hand coming to her other shoulder, pulling her close into a hug. “I don’t want you mixed up with him.”

“Oliver, last night… it wasn’t-” He silenced her with a look.

“He’s dangerous Charlotte. Please just listen to me.”

“What’s so dangerous about him Ollie? What is it?” She pulled away, eyes looking back towards the dining room.

“Just… trust me on this.”

“Fine.”

 

 

**26th August 2019**

**11:35 am.**

 

She’d gone to wander around the house after Oliver had pulled her away from Malcolm Merlyn. Everyone that lived in the house was gathered down in the dining room, leaving her to her own devices.

On the coffee table in the lounge was todays newspaper, flopping onto the couch dramatically without an audience, she picked it up off the coffee table, flipping through it, bored. An article caught her eye and she turned back to the page. The blurry photos that were plastered on the pages with the new story on the pages. ‘STARLING CITY HAS A NEW HOOD!’ The new headline said in large letters. Charlotte smirked as she read the news article about the newest vigilante in the city. She was hardly visible in the blurry photos, her face covered by her hair and hood.

  
  


*

 

11:46 am:

  
  


In their flat, Slade had the day’s newspaper in his lap, pages flipped open to the same new report that was catching everyone’s interests. He’d recognized that suit as soon as he’d flipped past the page. Charlotte was all doing all this while he was here, waiting for her to come home.

He slammed the door to their room shut, walking over to the couch and laying on it, grumbling to himself as he turned on the tv. The show that was on ran for ten more minutes before it cut to a quick news announcement.

The news announcement was related to Malcolm Merlyn’s Charity Gala being held tonight, indicating the coverage for the event and why the event was being held.

  
  


*

  
  


Malcolm had come to the Queen residence to extend an offer to his Gala to the family. He’d spotted Shadow Stranger in Oliver’s clothes, calling out with her phone in hand, the sweatshirt baggy on her frame and God did he want her so bad when he recognized that voice.

She’d recognized him too, he saw it in her eyes when she froze. He’d recovered first, holding his hand out with a smirk.

“Malcolm Merlyn.” He introduced himself. She nodded, hand still clasped around his, her eyes meeting his.

“Charlotte Kazakov.” They dropped hands and Malcolm instantly felt the room’s attention shift from him to Charlotte and Oliver. Oliver stepped around him, placing a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder and lifting his chin to look at Malcolm.

“Charlotte’s staying with us for a while Malcolm.” Oliver sounded confrontational and had steered Charlotte away from him as soon as he got the chance. He turned his attentions to Moira and Thea when they’d left the dining room. The invitation extended to the three of the Queens. At the last minute, he reminded both them that they was allowed to bring a date for the Gala.

He’d then gone to discuss business with Moira in her office, wanting to discuss a contract for investing into a new plan that Merlyn Global Group had designed to benefit health care and hospitals in Starling City.


End file.
